How Can I Be a Wedding Planner?
- 1). Enroll in a certification course on wedding planning. Taking a formal course that gives you all the training you need is the best preparation. Aside from this, couples are more confident in hiring someone who has a certification. Online schools such as the American Academy of Wedding Professionals (AAWP) offer an online professional wedding planning course.
- 2). Get a professional certification. If you are already working as a wedding planner, The Wedding Planning Institute offers a professional certification test online which gives you more credibility as a professional wedding planner. The requirements for a wedding planner taking the exam is that a planner has at least two years of experience in planning weddings and should have organized at least four weddings in the past year.
- 3). Form a wedding checklist to keep yourself organized and provide copies to the bride. Learn all the details to planning weddings. Be very detail-oriented. During the course of all the excitement, the planner takes on responsibilities to make sure the event stays organized and timely. Planners must be on top of all wedding events and see that all details are properly taken into account.
- 4). Practice your people skills. As a wedding planner, you deal not only with the couple but also with their whole families and friends who will take part in the wedding. It is important to cultivate patience especially in times where there is conflict among wedding members. Also, in as much as you would like to please the bride and groom and give in to all their wishes, you should be realistic in telling them what you can and cannot achieve.
- 5). Register your business name. Find out all the necessary legal paperwork you need for your wedding planning business to be registered. Pick a name that embodies who you are and what your service is. If your desired name is available, you can complete your registration and begin advertising with confidence.
- 6). Advertise online. Although word-of-mouth will certainly get you more clients, advertising on the Internet will allow you to reach a wider audience. Hiring a professional web designer to make and design your website will make sure the site is professional-looking and appealing to prospective clients. All necessary information should be listed including rates, services provided and promos. You can also include testimonials from satisfied clients as well as an updated blog of your wedding planning experiences.
- 7). Build a good network of vendors. As a wedding planner, you will need all the contact information you can get about vendors such as florists, dress designers, event stylists, caterers, entertainers and more. Your contact list will accumulate as you handle more weddings, so it is important to build a trustworthy and professional relationship with all vendors you do business with. In the long run, these are vendors you will be constantly working with in most events.
- 8). Start off with the weddings of close friends and family. First-time jitters and nervousness is inevitable, so start off a wedding planner career with people you know and are comfortable with. Friends and family help spread the word and advertise your services to other clients.
- 9). Visit online sites for current trends in weddings. Sites like The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings always have something new for the reader. These websites also have monthly magazines to which you can also subscribe to.
